Denzel Washington Tells Reporter That Sending Your Son Or Daughter To War Is The Real Challenge

We all idolize big stars to some extent, and we expect they always have something glamorous and witty to say. Or in Denzel Washington’s case, something … smoldering.

Oh, sorry. I digress.

In a roundtable discussion published on Dec. 8 by The Hollywood Reporter, Washington and five other film directors discussed their careers. Asked about the difficulty of directing, the star didn’t hesitate.

“People talk about the difficulty of making a movie and I’m like, send your son to Iraq, that’s difficult,” Washington said during the interview.

There’s a reason this guy is so grounded. Married for 33 years, four great kids, devoutly religious and considering a next career as a preacher. In the Hollywood world of crazy, that keeps him sane.

Washington knows a thing or two about perspective and priorities. In a recent interview with “60 Minutes,” he addressed the concept of persevering when life isn’t fair, specifically of working in a system where people of color often struggle against invisible barriers.

“Yeah, and so what? You going to give up? If you’re looking for an excuse, you’ll find one. You can find it wherever you like,” said Washington. “Can’t live like that. Just do the best you can do.”

On Dec. 7, Washington chimed in to The Washington Post about fake news, specifically recently published stories about his political leanings, saying, “If you don’t read the newspaper, you’re uninformed. If you do read it, you’re misinformed.”

“So what a responsibility you all have,” Washington continued, “to tell the truth — not just to be first.”

The man shows awesome respect for the men and women of the military who risk and sacrifice their lives for our freedom, and admirable wisdom about what’s important in life.

When asked about the importance of making movies in the grand scheme of things, Washington said, “Don’t get it twisted, it’s just a movie. It ain’t that big of a deal.”